People dump perishables on 3rd Ave where the homeless have settled for years. Perishables are open to flies, rats, and whatever else is available. There is human feces in close proximity to the people and the perishables.

Rick Swinger, the man who has designated himself as the one to start cleaning up 3rd, has made notice to Venice Update of the Hepatitis A outbreak in San Diego and Santa Cruz. This article talks of the outbreak in San Diego. Rick has had the County Health inspector out to 3rd and is awaiting an answer.

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. The virus is primarily spread when an uninfected (and unvaccinated) person ingests food or water that is contaminated with the feces of an infected person.

Friday, people waited all morning for Sanitation to come and clean the sidewalks and the street and sanitize certain areas. They want this to happen. One homeless resident said it was the “fifth week that they haven’t come … look at this street.” Homeless residents move their belongings every Friday morning on to Rose between 3rd and Hampton so this cleaning can happen. Video below shows what they have moved.

Both homeless residents of 3rd and the residents of the surrounding neighborhood are concerned about the infestation of the rats, lack of cleanup, and the possibilities of other diseases, such as MRS and hepatitis.

The residents were asked who was dumping the food. One man said Phoenix house. One box of bread showed that bread was from Gelson’s.

Venice Update has asked the Council Office to post “No Dumping” signs with the penal code and the fine for doing such.

Food is not the only thing that gets dumped. Public storage renters dump miscellaneous items. People drive by and dump things, such as new carpet padding. Once a week the police along with Sanitation come by and pickup all bulky items (items that will not fit in a 60-gallon trash barrel, in accordance with LAMC 56.11.) This is new and they come once a week on a Thursday.

Rick Swinger asked for more trash cans. They brought more wired cans that Rick called “Rat Feeders.” So City put plastic sacks inside cans, one time. Photo above shows that City cleans the containers but leaves the trash surrounding them.

Comments (35)

When you throw out unwanted items, place them in or beside dumpsters or set them in front of your house or apartment, these items are going to be carried away by transients. To the Boardwalk, to alleys, to parking lots, to sidewalks. That is why I always homeless-proof my trash.

Mattresses and bedsprings I slice, strip, and break apart. Furniture I unscrew into pieces, saw or smash. Office chairs I strip and disassemble. Glasses and plates are broken, I poke holes in plastic cups, bowls and bins. All food and alcohol are emptied from containers and bottles. As for clothing, I rip apart or cut everything. I scissor socks and hats in half as well as shoes. Unwanted videos and DVDs are broken in half. Nothing I throw away is wearable or useable by the transients and addicts that plague our city.

This is exactly what Ive have been advocating here but getting stonewalled at the Venice Homeless Committee! Here is a quote from the San Diego Tribune..”The city in past years erected temporary tent shelters for the homeless, but that program was abandoned in favor of getting them into permanent housing. That effort has lagged because of a lack of affordable housing and various individuals and groups have urged the city to again provide more temporary shelter until the “housing first” model picks up steam.” Read more as the death toll climbs to 16 and they don’t have a handle on this outbreak yet. Lets not have this happen to us. We need to have another fast option for these homeless in harms way! Sweetwater Canvas Bungalows will help in this effort! No doubt about it!http://www.sweetwaterbungalows.comhelp in this effort! No doubt about it! http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/health/sd-me-hepatitis-update-20170912-story.html

The population of LA is growing and its true there is not enough apartments or hotels to furnish the need.But to blame landlords is ridiculous for they are the ones who supply housing! With a low vacancy rate thats means most home are filled already.Where are those folks suppose to go? Blame the politicians for down zoning C3 mixed use buildings to RD-1 and limiting the height of apartments now in Venice. Mixed use C3 zoning not only do they supply homes for folks but places for them to work at the same time! They are great for our local Artist too!

Population of L.A. is growing because it is run by a bunch of idiot leftist politicians who do not want to do anything to control the flow of illegal immigrants into this city.The mayor and City Council can’t do anything about American citizens from other states moving here but they sure as hell can and should be doing something about illegal immigrants instead of putting out the Welcome Mat by declaring this a “City of Sanctuary” and funding a Legal Defense Fund to shield them from being deported back to their own countries where they belong.

Jack, how many illegal aliens are living on Rose & 3rd or on the beach? So what you are essentially saying is that those folks are willing to double or triple up, stay sober enough to work and pay the rent to the evil and greedy landlords, therefore taking up all of the housing that could be had by the people camping on the streets of Venice waiting for Uncle Sugar to build them beachfront apartments? Who is the idiot here?

The idiots are all of you who are in favor of throwing American citizens under the bus and replacing them with illegal immigrants who take jobs that Americans could be working and send billions of U.S. dollars out of this country every year to their families back in their home countries.

I can’t handle all the calls/emails Im getting from neighbors asking for help in this clean up! Its disgusting how many pictures of feces are emailed to me! Make sure you put time, date and location and post them on stop illegal dumping in Venice Beach so we can send a graphic letter to our city councilman! We have to get a handle on this or we will be in the same situation as our neighbor city in San Diego! Two choices here either you open up the restrooms 24/7 or the homeless are going to defecate on the beach! Open up the restrooms before its too late!!! Thanks for your support!

County of San Diego declares Health Emergency of outbreak of Hepatitis A while human feces and dump food are found on 3rd and Rose ave!
Where is Mr. Bonin! The conditions on and around 3rd are very similar if not identical to the conditions in San Diego that started this Hepatitis A outbreak that has killed 15 and infected 400 others. The homeless population and drug users are being the hardest hit but they are not the only one to be infected! This San Diego article claims that its their gut feeling it started from food donations left on the street combined with touching infected feces! The same thing can happen here now especially if Mr. Bonin is reducing funding for Clean St. LA.Healthly streets and Hope Car! The Sunday night feeding programs on 3rd sponsored by Occupy Venice was recently shut down by the County Health Dept after I alerted them a few months ago. Thats not good enough for feces are being smeared around here just recently I had to get County Health Dept Environmental division to inspect the smeared feces next to Google! This has got to stop now and the city has to be more pro active in shutting down this illegal Campground on 3rd! Homeless folks are in danger of eating tainted food dropped off by who knows who? Every day there is illegal dumping of perishables on 3rd with out any inspectors! Where is Mr. Bonin? Where is Major Garcettii and Why did the C3 RN avoid my questions about Hepatitis A vaccinations and St. Joseph not returning my phone calls! What the hell is going on? I have not seen the steam cleaning on 3rd that was suppose to be very Friday for months now! WHY? Folks we have a feces contaminated environment right here because of the camp on 3rd as this picture will show! Update. I just talked to Judy at Venice Family Clinic and she said they do have Vaccines for hepatitis A and will give them to anybody that comes in asking for these treatment. I contacted Tim Smith at the clinic and left a message about getting some information flyers to the homeless in Venice.

RESPONSE TO JACK KELLY – Jack, what you’re saying is laughable. So, in your view, homeless folks essentially have a right to beachfront property in that they can camp near the beach, destroy a residential neighborhood with families and children (I don’t know where you grew up, but i’m sure it wasn’t among 3rd world disgusting and dangerous conditions with homeless and feces and drug needles everywhere).

You are obviously being compensated by Bonin’s camp. Bonin is destroying Venice in his run for mayor. He’s building up Skid Row WEST in venice to take pressure off of downtown so Garcetti and Eli Broad and other developers can develop downtown and the arts district. They’re tired of seeing skid row near city hall and want to move it to venice. They say, oh, the homeless are already in Venice. BS. Bonin has advertised Venice as a global destination for homeless folks and guess what, they’re coming from all over. I would. Free food, drugs, beach sun and breezes and NO law enforcement. Where else in the USA do you get that.

All that Bonin is doing is protecting his constituents in palisades, brentwood and to some extent his own precious mar vista from having to deal with homeless issues by dumping it ALL in venice.

Jack Kelly seems to think that putting in some storage and showers, and spending millions of dollars to house a few in the face of over a thousand (with more coming) transients will all get fixed if we residents “just get the hell out of the way.” To what end? More homeless? More services? More excuses? Delusional thinking.

Jack Kelly – I bet you are frustrated. You have no answers. Seems to most of us that the proposed programs are at once stopgap and insufficient, as well as expensive, longterm and insufficient. While these might prove be be helpful over time, no one on a City level knows what to do about making things of less impact. They have plenty of money, except that is earmarked for nonprofit builders. Stop whining about the “evil residents” and ask your LA City officials about why they are letting things get so out of hand? Are they actually promoting the friction between the factions? Are they purposely moving the transient population west to Venice and Santa Monica to upgrade the downtown “Arts District?” Who knows, but as Bob Dylan once sang, “We’re only a pawn in their game…”

Nobody is moving the “transients” west. That is a false narrative that people like you continue to spew knowing full well that is a false narrative. And that is why I will continue to call out you and your buddies for the jack-asses you all are. There are close to 60,000 homeless in L.A. County. Venice has what ? A thousand of them ? Homelessness is happening all over Los Angeles because the landlords who own all the rental properties here have turned this into a city where it now takes a yearly income of close to 80K a year just to be able to afford a cheap apartment. And like all of the rentals here in Los Angeles that cheap apartment is going to be way the hell over-priced. Where are all of the 500 a month apartments ? They do not exist anymore because of the greed of a bunch of landlords who do not care about anything but money money money. And because there are no more apartments anywhere in Los Angeles anymore that are priced at any kind of reasonable price more and more people are ending up on the streets where the same landlords that are behind all of these astronomically high rents smear them as being a bunch of “transients” who are all on drugs or alcohol. And that is the truth of the matter.

People ARE coming to Venice – two new ‘types’ of homeless. The meth-addicted youth (“traveler” kids) and the truly mentally ill (the hoarders who historically occupy Skid Row). Neither of these groups was here 3 years ago and neither of these groups was paying rent – of even $500/month – 3 years ago. Rising rents ARE a problem but that alone has not created the homeless crisis throughout LA (or even in Venice). Rents have been “too high” to people like you forever…The only things we know for certain is that the homeless population is SURGING in Venice (a residential neighborhood), this population is DIFFERENT from previous iterations of homeless in Venice, and NO ONE IS DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. Crime is up. The filth is astronomical. More people are coming.

The City should be embarrassed beyond belief. For years this behavior has be ongoing on Skid Row but because people don’t live there, it went relatively unnoticed. Now we are putting a VERY dangerous, VERY unstable, VERY unsanitary group in the middle of a neighborhood with families. It is not good policy.

So your answer is that what is happening in Venice is because of “landlords”- True words of the class warrior – Yep, all landlords inherited their property from Uncle Bernie, charge astronomical rents so they can live in Brentwood? Why is the brunt of the squalor built in Venice and not in other places? Why isn’t the local government doing more than transferring taxpayer’s money (the new taxes that you keep crowing about) to do more than a half-assed attempt at keeping Rose Ave clean and giving millions to VCHC and other nonprofit developerrs to build something unnecessary on free city land? Sure, blame it on the “landlords” and the people who reside here, rather than a councilman who is more interested in “calming” traffic than the health and safety of everyone, housed or unhoused. How long is this crap going to go on? What exactly do you (and your ilk) want of the residents? Apparently, the only viable answer seems to be turn the town into a literal shithole, so rents and property values drop to a more acceptable level? And what would that be? As the Eddie Murphy class warior character used to say on SNL; “Kill your landlord, kill your landlord.”

Just one false narrative after another from you anonymous. Bottom line is that it is landlords like you who are the main reason that more and more people are becoming homeless in Los Angeles. You can cop your smug little attitude and deflect all you want but it is greedy landlords like you who have turned Los Angeles into a city where the only people who can actually afford to live here are the ones who are making 100,000 a year or more. And they’re not getting a whole lot of bang for their buck either.

Jack Kelly – RE: False narrative? There is no false narrative. You have no answers. There at least three people posting here as anonymous. Why would you assume that any of us own rental property? What does property ownership have to do with the mess on Rose. A. Rose & Third is a disgrace and Bonin and his City slickers should be ashamed of themselves. B. Why should tax paying property owners have to live with this squalor, and see the tax money collected to ease this situation be squandered on nonprofit developers building over-ambitious multi-use projects with too few units to house even a small percentage of the people massing on our streets and beach. You also seem to be upset with the word “transients.” What is the correct PC way to refer to a population that came from other places and moved onto the streets of town?

The only transients in Venice are the tourists who pay a “transient tax” when they stay in a hotel here. And 57% of the homeless population in Los Angeles are people who have lived in Los Angeles for 20 years or more. And just because they no longer have a place to live does not mean that they are no longer a resident of this city. As far as all of you “anonoymous’s” go ? Why are you all so afraid to use your names here ? I’l tell you exactly why. It is because you’re all a bunch of cowards who do not have the nerve to put a name to any of your hateful views. As far as me having no answers ? I have answers whjich I have stated here repeatedly. And those answers are for all of you arrogant NIMBYS to get the hell out of the way and stop opposing everything. But we all know that’s not going to happen because haters have to hate. And unlike a lot of the 60’s holdovers here in Ven ice I don’t believe that love conquers all. I believe that the only way to conquer hate is to hate right back. It’s the only thing cretins like you understand.

Oh, my goodness. Go to 3rd Ave and talk to the people and ask where they are from. Former Captain of the LAPD Pacific Division made the statement that the homeless in Venice were 90 percent transient and 75 percent addicted. There were porta poties put up on private property on east side of 3rd near Sunset. The sign said to keep them clean or they would be removed. They were there for a couple of weeks. Comments are welcome but opinion without factual basis is of no value.

@Reta Any numbers you get from the LAPD regarding the homeless population is going to be based purely on the criminal element of the homeless population who come into contact with the police. And that isn’t everybody. The numbers from the homeless count (to which even you posted a copy of the report) are a much more accurate assessment. And according to those numbers 57% of the homeless population in L.A. are people who have lived here for 20 years or longer.

You are certainly welcome to your opinion. My suggestion is that you mingle with the homeless population a little more than just do a walk thru. Talk to them. In all the years of observing 3rd and the Ocean Front, I have met one guy from Venice. Asked him why he was on the street and he said he would rather be on the street than at home. He felt more free. His friends were there. The homeless figures that distinguished origins for people were taken by Santa Monica. Regina Weller mentioned something about origin. Can’t remember. Read her stories. She said 70 percent in Venice were addicted. So your casual, walk thru assessment just does not shape up with my observations of many, many years and the professionals’ who deal with the people.

It’s not my “casual” assessment that I am basing my numbers on. It is the official numbers from this years official homeless count to which you posted the report right here on your website. The numbers that you are quoting here from the LAPD only refer to people who the LAPD comes into contact with. And that is not everybody. It is not illegal to be homeless so therefore the only time that the LAPD would be gathering information of this type would be if they were detaining or arresting somebody. They cannot just walk up to a homeless person who isn’t breaking any laws and start asking them questions regarding their status just like they cannot just walk up to anybody else who isn’t breaking any laws and start questioning them. Bottom line is the official numbers from this years homeless count stated that 57% of the homeless population in L.A. County are people who have lived here for 20 years or longer. You posted the report here yourself. Didn’t you even read it ?

@Jack Kelly These folks that are grouping up on 3rd are increasing the odds of a disease spreading according to a doctor I talk to at County Heath Dept. So thats one reason I believe 3rd is very bad choice to camp. As for the projects here in Venice from what I hear the homeless in Venice are not guaranteed a home and they are up against 57,000 other folks so its like winning a lottery. The only one guaranteed to benefit is the developers and the service providers. Im all for storage but not across the street from residents and near the ocean in Venice we need a break from all the pollution that occurs around storage facilities like we see at Public Storage in Venice. Im in favor of giving storage to them a short walk on Lincoln away from the Ocean and residents.

Rick save your b.s. for somebody else. Your Mark Ryavec’s stooge. And Mark Ryavec’s agenda is all about chasing the homeless from one part of Venice to another in the hopes that they will either move on, die, or end up in jail on an assault charge when one of you provokes them. And that is why you guys complain non-stop about the conditions on 3rd Street but do not want the city to do anything to make those conditions better.Everything you guys do is all about your anti-homeless agenda. And that is all that’s about.

Jack Kelly – So what is happening here is OK with you and massing hundreds of people in a neighborhood with no regards for ANYBODY’s health and safety is a compassionate solution? Spending millions of dollars to house a few in the most expensive property in LA is a good use of available funding? Apparently, everything you guys (and “Big idea” Bonin) do is all about your “eat the rich” agenda. And that is all that’s about. Oh, oh, and everyone who is NOT homeless is rich. Anyone who thinks what is going on is acceptable is mentally deficient. Building a “Blade Runner” society in Venice, one program at a time.

It is all of you who are opposed to everything from porta pottys on 3rd Street to storage at Westminster to housing at Dell that have no regards for anybody’s health. All of these things that you people are constantly complaining about could be easily solved if people like you would just get the hell out of the way.

Homeless problem in Los Angeles isn’t going to go away by itself. In fact as rents continue to rise it is only going to get worse. And that is why the voters here in L.A. voted on two extra taxes to fund the solution to this problem. And even with these new funds we are still a couple of years away from even beginning to see homeless people housed here in L.A. Here is a link to an article written by somebody who knows a whole lot more about this issue than you do. Read it and educate yourself.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/28/hepatitis-a-san-diego-deaths I believe this could happen here if we allow this to continue on 3rd! Here is a quote from this article about what is happening now in San Diego.. “My gut feeling is it was a common source where somebody might have given food to a group of homeless individuals,” he said. From there, the virus spread via personal contact. “They don’t have a clean water supply to wash their hands, and once they have hepatitis A, then they become a source for another person.”

I believe this could happen here if we allow this to continue on 3rd! Here is a quote from this article about what is happening now in San Diego.. “My gut feeling is it was a common source where somebody might have given food to a group of homeless individuals,” he said. From there, the virus spread via personal contact. “They don’t have a clean water supply to wash their hands, and once they have hepatitis A, then they become a source for another person.” https://www.theguardian.com/…/hepatitis-a-san-diego-deaths

Recent Comments

Steven Burns { Thank-you for posting the information and photos. Facts are always welcome. I posted a similar comment previously, but I frankly think fighting this is futile, it is going to happen. There needs to be a focus now, before it opens, to hold the city to the promise that it will... } – 1409 6:09 PM

Rick Swinger { Yes I would like to help. I can be contacted at rickswinger@yahoo.com } – 1409 4:46 PM

Lori { Please help....I have contacted all the news stations as this is outrageous and needs to become public knowledge. Many of the stations have responded back to me but they want more information. Please reach out to all the stations (or myself) with any information so they can accurately report on... } – 1409 3:09 PM

Anonymous { To whom it may concern: I'm not afraid of radio stations or Dr. Drew etc. I'm not sure how familiar you all are with defamation, libel or slander but this is all of that and more including harrassment. I want you all to cease and desist or I will be... } – 1409 3:01 PM

Anonymous { Paul- Again because clearly you cant read. My daughter was with me in tow because I have to bring l her to work in LA because im a single mom forced into motherhood from her rapist trust fund jewish father. But I dont expect you to understand what it's like... } – 1409 2:35 PM

Paul { Ricky your talking points are weak. These are not the homeless people we grew up with and you know it. These 20-something drug addicts and criminals are not the local hobos we all know and used to feed. Not the ones we’d buy a beer or a sandwich. You can’t... } – 1409 2:05 PM

Paul { Ricky, how many of these people do you house at your place? Not everyone is a nazi that doesn’t see it your way or agree with you. If anything you’re the nazi for not allowing free speech you fascist. Wake up! } – 1409 2:00 PM

Paul { Jesus christ, I don’t care what you were doing. Why the hell are you out there with a kid? And if you have it so rough why are you offering help when you seem to need it yourself? Focus on yourself, on your little girl. Get your shit together and... } – 1409 1:56 PM

Anonymous { Rick Swinger- It sounds like you have compassion, but you didnt seem overly concerned when we spoke wednesday night. It was a much longer conversation which you seemed too in a hurry to have rather than get all the details. If you would truly like to help and not jump... } – 1409 12:13 PM

Anonymous { Yes I agree more people need to be involved in community service especially in youth and get off their high horse so they understand the concept of humility and empathy. I thought part of being human is being humane. That's what I learned throughout my life...everyone has ups and downs.... } – 1409 12:04 PM